Cable laying and recovery apparatus



y 14, 1942- E. A. DENNISON 2,290,037

CABLE LAYING AND RECOVERY APPARATUS Filed Aug. 1, 1940 Patented July 14, 1942 CABLE LAYING AND RECOVERY APPARATUS Ernest Arthur Dennison, Longparish, Andover, England Application August 1, 1940, Serial No. 349,313

In Great Britain August 1, 1939 4' Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for temporarily laying and thereafter picking up electric cables such as telephone lines, and it is especially applicable to use in military exercises or operations where telephone cables have to be laid on the ground or supported on hedges or the like.

The improved apparatus is of the kind employing feed-rolls and a cable drum mounted on a support such as a platform which can be secured in a vehicle for transportation. Apparatus of this kind is described in prior United States Patent No. 2,203,435, dated June 4, 1940.

The present invention has for its main objects to provide a lighter, more compact and greatly simplified form of apparatus, to facilitate the exchange of the cable drum, and to adapt the apparatus for use in alternative positions upon a vehicle.

Other objects and advantages -of the invention will hereinafter appear from, the following description given with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig, 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus in a preferred construction.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation showing the gate open, the cable-storage drum being removed.

Figs, 4 and 6 are details in section on a larger scale, showing respectively the bearing at one end of the drum spindle and a pedal-operated locking device for the turntable.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lower portion of the frame, showing the drum and the support.

As shown in the drawing, the apparatus comprises a base or support or adapted to be mounted on the floor of a transport vehicle, the base being anchored in position by adjustable tubes or screws b bearing against the sides of the vehicle. This base is fitted with a turntable device consisting of a fixed ring 0 forming a circular track for shoes or sockets 12 secured to a tubular ring d at the bottom of a frame which carries the cable storage drum f-and other parts;

the frame comprises four upstanding members ee connected to the bottom ring d, a top portion 9 of rectangular or trapezoidal shape, stays 11 extending across the ring d, and a pair of cross members 17. arranged diagonally between two of the uprights e, the whole being preferably of tubular construction and brazed or welded together. The two uprights e adjacent to the diagonal members it are preferably spaced closer together than the opposite pair of uprights e between which the cable-drum ,f is passed when mounting it in position or removing it from place. The drum is fitted upon a rotatable spindle i which is carried at one end in a main bearing at the intersection of the diagonal members h; a driving pulley f is secured upon the extremity of the spindle projecting outside the bearing, and a brake drum is is secured upon the spindle just inside the bearing, portions of the spindle being preferably of square cross section in order to engage the usual square holes in the cheek plates of the cable drum.

The other or outer end of the spindle i is screw-threaded and engaged by a sleeve nut 11 which is carried in a ball-bearing Z mounted in a housing forming a central part of a gate member m also carried by the frame; the gate member is hinged at each end to one of the uprights e of the frame, these two uprights being the pair spaced further apart in order to allow passage of the drum between them. The hinges comprise removable pins m of L-shape, the longer arm of each pin passing through lugs (2 m upon the upright and gate-end respectively, so that the gate can be swung aside as shown in Fig. 3 after removal of one hinge pin; the opening of the gate can take place in either direction to suit the conditions when the drum is to be fitted or removed.

The ball-bearing Z is capable of axial travel within its housing to allow engagement of the sleeve nut i with the spindle i; as shown in Fig. 4, the outer race of the bearing is mounted in a ring I slidable within the housing, a guide pin or screw 1 projectingradially from the ring and engaging in a slot in the housing so as to hold the ring and outer race from revolving. When the nut i is being screwed upon or off the spindle i, the pin or screw 1 can move along the slot which limits the axial travel of the bearing within the housing.

To facilitate the registering of the drum f with its spindle 2', two slides or ramps (1 are provided upon the ring stays d of the frame, these slides extending from the outer part of the ring (1 towards the centre of the frame-support a, and just within the plane of the uprights 6 The periphery of the drum is placed upon and across. these slides or ramps and then pushed in between the uprights. e being automatically centred and guided by the slides tothe desired position in which the spindle i enters the central hole in the cheek plate or boss of the drum; when the drum is fullyengaged upon the spindle, it runs just clear of the slides d The gate memberm is then closed and secured by inserting the removed hinge-pin m and the sleeve nut i is engaged with the screw-threaded end of the drum-carrying spindle i, the nut being screwed up tightly until it becomes rigid on the spindle, so that the latter will be properly supported by the bearing Z at its outer end.

At any time during operation of the cable laying apparatus, the rotation of the drum spindle may be checked or prevented by use of the brake drum is, to which shoes k can be applied by means of a handle 70 and links W, the brake shoe levers k being pivoted at their lower ends upon the ring-stays al The upper part g of the frame above the cable storage drum f is provided with a pivoted arm n upon the outer end of which is mounted the feed-roll device for projecting the cable during the laying operation. The angular position of this pivoted arm n is controlled by a handwheel n through a screwed spindle n and a nut n trunnioned upon the pivoted arm. A small internal combustion engine 17 is mounted upon the top part g of the frame above the cable-storage drum 1 and is supplied with fuel from a tank p secured upon an upward extension of one of the uprights e; the engine shaft is fitted with a driving belt pulley p whereby a belt pulley 0 upon a cross shaft 0 extending transversely of the aforesaid pivoted arm may be driven through the medium of a belt q. This cross shaft 0 rotates the feed-roll device 0 which throws out the cable, two rolls being provided in order to grip the cable between them.

When the cable is to be paid out, the belt q from the driving pulley p is applied to the feed-roll pulley o by turning the hand wheel m When however, the cable is to be reeled in, the belt is removed or slackened and the same belt or another belt q is passed from the driving pulley p or from a second pulle beside p to around the belt pulley I connected with the cable-storage drum f on the side remote from the gate member m.

The upper part g of the frame is also provided with a socket g through which passes a slidable rod or plunger 1" carrying a jockey-pulley T This rod is spring urged to withdraw the jockey-pulley r from the belt q but a hand-lever s is arranged to act contrary to the spring 1 and to cause the jockey-pulley to press against the belt, when reeling in the laid cable to the storage drum 1. In this way, the belt q can be tensioned when reeling in the cable so that power is applied to rotate the drum J only so long as the hand-lever s tensions the driving belt.

The turntable device permits the frame ee with its drum f and feed-roll device 0 to be oriented in the desired direction for paying out or picking up cable to either side or behind the vehicle. A locking device, preferably pedal-operated, is provided to secure the support ring d in the desired position in relation to the base a.

A pin t normally projects upwardly from the base a or fixed ring 0 by means of a spring t to lock the turntable but can be depressed to the level of the ring 0 by a hinged pedal u. The support ring d around the base of the tubular frame ee is provided on its under side with a series of sockets v of inverted V-shape; these sockets act as shoes running upon the fixed ring 0 and are provided with laterally inclined wings or cams 22 as well as with rear walls '0 engaging behind the inner edge of the ring to keep the two rings 0, d concentric. The upstanding pin t can be forced down b one of the inclined wings or cams v as the frame ee is turned, but

' when the pin reaches another sockets v the spring t presses the pin up into the V-portion of the socket, the support ring d being thus locked in position upon the fixed ring 0. To release the pin, in order to change the angle at which the cable is to be directed by the feed roll device, the pedal u is depressed, thereby lowering the pin so that the support ring (1 and frame ee can then be oriented to the desired position relative to the fixed ring 0. The inclined wings or cams 0 enable the pin t to engage the next socket automatically during the turning of the frame after the pedal has been depressed to release it.

What I claim is:

1. In cable laying and recovery apparatus, the combination of a rotatable spindle, a cable drum, a supporting frame, said frame including four upright members, two of said upright members being spaced relatively close to one another and g the other two being spaced relatively far apart,

a bearing upon said frame for said spindle, said bearing being located between the relatively close-spaced pair of said upright members, a gate member hingedly and detachably connected at its respective ends to the other pair of said upright members, a second bearing carried by said gate member, and a coupling member rotatably supported by said second bearing, said spindle being adapted to receive said cable drum passed between said other pair of upright members while said gate member is disconnected at one end, said coupling member being engageable with said spindle in the normal position of said gate member.

2. In cable laying and recovery apparatus, the combination of a rotatable spindle for a cable drum, a supporting frame, said frame including four upright members, a bearing upon said frame for said spindle, said bearing being carried between an adjacent pair of said upright members, a gate member hingedly connected between the other pair of said upright members, a second bearing slidably mounted in said gate member, and a coupling member rotatably supported by said second bearing, said coupling member being engageable with said spindle in the normal position of said gate member, and said second bearing being slidable axially in said gate member during such engagement.

3. In cable laying and recovery apparatus, comprising a cable drum, feed rolls and driving means, a tubular frame including a bottom ring, four upstanding members upon said bottom ring, a top portion at the upper end of said upstanding members, and a pair of diagonal members connecting an adjacent pair of said upstanding members, a bearing mounted at the intersection of said diagonal members, a cable drum spindle rotatable in said bearing, a removable gate member hingedly connected to the other pair of said upstanding members, and a second bearing carried by said gate member to support the adjacent end of said spindle in the operative position, said top portion carrying said feed rolls and driving means.

4. In cable laying and recovery apparatus, a support for a cable drum, comprising a tubular frame including a bottom ring, four upstanding members upon said lower ring, a top portion mounted on said upstanding members, and a pair of diagonal members connecting an adjacent pair of said upstanding members, a bearing mounted at the intersection of said diagonal members, a cable drum spindle rotatable in said bearing, a removable gate member hingedly connected to the other pair of said upstanding members, and a second bearing carried by said gate member to support the adjacent end of said spindle in the operative position.

ERNEST ARTHUR DENNISON. 

